יהודי ביאליסטוק במלחמת העולם השניה, 1939-1943

"Describes the Soviet occupation of Bialystok from September 1939-June 1941, and the ensuing German occupation. The Soviet authorities were determined to assimilate the Jews; they therefore prohibited activities in Jewish schools, political parties, youth movements, and cultural centers. After the German occupation in June 1941 the Jews were subjected to arrests, murders, ghettoization, and deportation. Soon after the occupation the Germans filled the main synagogue with Jewish men and set it on fire, burning alive all those inside. Discusses the controversial role of the Judenrat and its head, Efraim Barasz, who thought that he could save the Jews in the ghetto by cooperating with the Nazis and by increasing industrial activity in the ghetto. Despite his efforts, the first deportation took place in February 1943; the ghetto was liquidated in summer 1943. Describes the attempts of Mordechai Tenenbaum-Tamaroff to organize a resistance group which met with little success due to friction between the various youth movements and lack of support from the Judenrat." -- From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism.